Power steering device for tractors



I 0. L. LEWIS. POWER STEERING DEV|CE FOR TRACTORS.

APPLICATlON FILED NOV. 121 i920.

Patsntedl was 25, mm

INVENTO G660 Z era 1' l: ea/51 ATTQARNWS.

t s ii 3 i K in? 1 .1 '2 I I W a @li riiQnn c rro Llano! LEWIS, or HOUSTON, sexes.

rownh-srnnnriw DEVICE FGR TRACTORS.

i ns aces: Specification of Letters Patent Patented Get. 25, 1921.

Application filed ll'oveinber 12, 1920. Serial No. 423,821.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Orro 'l'ncnor LEWIS, a citizen of the United States and a resident of Houston, inthe county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Power Steering Devices for Tractors, of which the following is a Specification.

My present invention relates to steering devices for tractors which are steered by partially rotating the front axleahout a, centrally located pivot as well as those which are steered by swinging the wheel about a pivot pin or steering knuckle each end of a stationary axle, and the object of the invention to dispense withthe actual labor involved in the manual manipulation-of the ordinary steering arrangement, which man.- nal manipulation, particularly in a large heavy tractor and upon broken uneven ground is quite lahorious and fatiguing to the operator.

1 further object is the provision of a steering device which may he controlled by means of flexible lines or reins from the operators station either on the tractor itself through the controlling latingiineans, and I Fig. 3 is d plan view of the clutch member or collar moved.

Referring now to these figures and fiar ticularly to Fig. 1, have shown a driven shaft 1 which extends from and may he apartof the transmission of the tractor and which extends oiiitwardly tl'irough and has a hearing 2 adjacent to its outer end within a portion 3 of one side of the transmission case.

Keyed or otherwise fastened and lo'cl-zed upon the outer end of the shaft 1 is a heyel pinion 4:.unit'ormly in mesh with and driving a pair of spaced bevel which latter,

engaging they do opposite sides of the pinion 4%, are caused. to rotate in opposite directions. These two hovel gears 5 have sleeve portions disposed in hearings i") which.

take up the thrustand radial strain and which are disposed in the apertured front and rear portions of a steering gear housing :0 extending from the transmission case 3. The hearings 6 are retained by hearing caps 7 and 8 holted to the steering gear housing around its openings to exclude dust and dirt.

The bevel gears 5 Whose outer toothed surfaces are engaged-by the pinion 4:, rotate upon the end portions of a sleeve 9 which has a free running fit in the gears and has a central surface portion between t e gears on which a clutch collar 10 is spline The 01)- posite ends of this clutch collar 10 are provided with clutch teeth as clearly shown in Fig. 3, which are engageahle with similar teeth of the inside toothed rings of gears 5 so that the collar 10, normally free of both of the gears 5, is shiftable into engagement with either thereof depending upon the direction in which itis desired that the sleeve 9 shall be rotated.

Clutch collar 10 is shifted in either direction by means of a shifter yokew 11 secured upon the lower end of an upright shaft 12 which may manipulated. by a hand lever 13 secured upon its upper end, or by means of a double end lever with. reins or lines attached to the ends thereof.

T he sleeve 9 as seen in Fig. 1 is internally threaded to take the threaded portions of an axially shiitahle shaft 14- whose forward portion is of polygonal shape and is mounted to s-tide through a conformahly shaped openi'ng arially or the forward bearin cap 8 wherehy the shaft is prevented from rotation. The forward extremity of this axially shiftahle shaft has angularly disposed hali end it? to fitrear socket of a drag linlt 1:3, which lat may he of standard construction, and areal movement or thrust of Sleeve 9 is taken up by the end cap 8 and by a plug 16 firmly secured in the rear been ing cap 7.

Between its threaded portions, the shaft 14 is reduced as shown, and stop pins 17 are securely fastened in the clutch collar and project inwardly adjacent to the reduced portion of the shaft through slots of sleeve 9, they being thus positioned between the shoulders at the ends of the reduced central iortion of the shaft to cooperate With the latter in limiting axial movement of the shaft. i i

In operation, pinion 4: drives the gears 5 in opposite directions and in a continuous Ell oer while tho 'laCl'Of isi'n operation. By ing rlutrh ('ollar ll into engagement mil oithor o'l l gears 5 rotation. is thus ini 'iarted oy tho peel-ire gear to the clutch rolls? and. lhroi 1 the laker to she. sleeve wii thro h d 'IFURQHE with the shaft H impa milling: movement lo the loll-or in a ili 'rliion dependent upon wl'iich rho goals 5 have been olnloholl and by viz-inc of tho fact that the shaft held iinsl rolalion.

H1 this opora ion lho relation between the "riinztion of rotation of tho olilfl'h collar and direction of shilling nmvoincnt of the iallt is surh that whoa tho shall has shifted diJtancc it is desired to havo same lift, ono of i1." shoulders; will 'jagc the slop pins ll" and automatically th s clnlch collar rail of engaged posiso as to lhoroh v pron i. breakage should the operator altom 'it, lo turn in too short a rzuli l collar liliscngvw is nin'mallv A l hs clutch "l, ll)" moans oi? a spring H-"ualod rolainin; wall '18 sealed in the uppr-r por'rion of lhe boring housing 3 and cngiigoalilo with a coniravo seat in lho sh: "l2 12 under tension of a spring 19 whirh old in place hv a plug 20 as shown in l iq. 2.

lln Fig. l L have slmwii one ol the steering whorls :3] o l a trartor, shillalilo for strori. 1;

a flooring knarlzlo having an "i l which ilio for-ward and of the ooh has a hall and socket conimrl'ion, l lic slim?rin li'nrzlilr is Hi9" "hown wilh au other arm nivolallv i'Ollllfi'l'l,-.El l Willi iiho adjarrnl and of the tic {'(Hl "J-l \vlioroby lho 'lwo front wheels are shifted in unison. This lall'or rons ZHCliun is standard automobile nonstruolion and it is quilu ohvions that my invonlion, vonstrur'ted and operaaiun' as no suihod, may lie uliilizod in (minor-thin with tractors in which l'ho ontire front axle is swung for steering: purposes around a central pivot. lathe latl'cr instance drag link 15 will be, connected to a hall stud rigid witlr the axle as indicated in dotted lines at 24 in Fig. 1.

1: claim:

1. In a power steering device for power propelled vehicles having steering wheels and steering wheel connections, an axially shiftalilo shaft l'mving universally movable members uniting the same at one end with "the steering wheel connections, a pair of spaced gears, a driven shaft, a pinion ricd by the driven. shaftand en 'aging said gears, a sleeve rotatably mounted through the gears and hold against lengthwise movomoot, through which tho axially shiftaolo shaft is threaded. means to prevent rotation of said axially shiftablc shaft, a clutch memleer splinecl on. the sleeve and having man.-

and. means to limit axially shifting movemeols of the said shall in relatively opposilo directions.

in power steering device for power propelled vehicles having steering wheels and steering whccl connections, an axially shiltable shaft having universally movable niemhcrs uniting the same at one end with the steering wheel connections, a pair of spaced gears, a drivon shaft, a. pinion carried by the driven shaft and engaging said gears, a sleeve rotatably mounted rlirongh the gears and held against lengthwise move Inont, through which. the axially shiftaolo sha'fc is threaded, means to prevenfi roml'ion of said. axial v shi'ftablc shaft, a clutch niomhcr splincd on in sleeve having manual means for sllfting the same toward and in engage-imam; wi the sold spaced gears, and means (1o limit axially shifting rants of tho said sh Qtin rilalively V directions, asl; narncd means including members La luv the clutch collar and acting to shift the latter into disengaged position,

In a power steering dcvice ior power propelled vehicles having sloering wheels and mooring wheel oonnz-lctions, an axially shiitahli shaft having universally movable incinhors uniting the same al; one end with (ho steering" wheel connections, a of spare [l gears. a driven shaft, a pinion can riod by l'lic driven shaft andv ongaging said goals, a alcove rotatably mounted through. the gears and held against, lcr' liwisc movonicnt, through which the .illy sliiftoole shaft is lhroadod, means to pr vent rotation of said axially slii'ftablcshaft, a clutch member splinod on the sleeve and having" manual means for shifting the same toward and in engagement with tho said spaced gears, said l .l rrio Li from said gears to said rotatable member,

and manual means for shifting said clutch controlled means.

5. A power steering device for power driven vehicles having steering wheels, which consists of an axially SlllTElZ-flblfi member connected to the steering wheel. and mtatabl hold, a rotatable n: Arbor having a, threaded connection with the first named member,

weagsee a driven shaft, oppositely rotatable.

gears actuated by the driven shaft, and a manually on and r0 '5 and-having means 6. A power steering controlled clutch member shiftable tat-able with said rotatable member to'engage the said gears. device for power driven vehicles having steering wheels, which consists of an axially shiftable member connected to 10 'tably hel threaded the steering Wheel and non -rotad, a rotatable member having a connection with the first named member, a driven shaft, oppositely rotatable gears actuated by the driven shaft, and a manually controlled clutch member shii't'able on and rotatable with said rotatable member and having means to engage the said gears, and means carried by said clutch member and said axially shiftable member whereby to release the former when the latter reaches its limit of movement in either direction.

OTTO LEROY LEWIS. 

